Operation O-Line On Day 2
May 9th, 2014
The next O-line upgrade?
Joe realizes Lovie Smith said last night that he’s never been a head coach around a quarterbacks group better than Josh McCown, Mike Glennon and Mike Kafka. (Take that, Jay Cutler!)
However, as special as these Bucs quarterbacks might be, they still need an offensive line that doesn’t resemble swiss cheese and 1-ply toilet paper.
The Bucs are thin on their offensive line. Very thin. Joe will believe Carl Nicks can actually play again if Joe sees him practice in pads for a few consecutive weeks. Until then, Nicks represents nothing more than false hope.
Who’s going to start at guard? Right guard? Left guard? Who’s going to be the often critical sixth man of the O-line?
Joe would like to see the Bucs answer one of those questions emphatically tonight.
Nevada tackle/guard prospect Joel Bitonio should be there in the second round (Joe wrote about Bitonio extensively this week), where the Bucs currently have the sixth pick (No. 38 overall). Will G Xavier Su’a-Filo out of UCLA be lurking?
Of course, Chucky’s tops-in-this-draft quarterback, Derek Carr, could be there, too.
May 9th, 2014 at 9:12 am
i am thinking the bucs could trade back in the second round and get there lineman. I think someone is look to move up.
May 9th, 2014 at 9:14 am
Carr is going to the Raiders or Houston along with the kid from SIU.
May 9th, 2014 at 9:25 am
Absolutely OG!! Keeping fixing the lines.
May 9th, 2014 at 9:34 am
Could absolutely see them trading back and trying to recoup the lost 4th from the Revis trade. Still not sold on anyone behind Verner either so drafting a corner would not be a bad idea either.
May 9th, 2014 at 9:37 am
Bucs have to select one of these guys in the 2nd round.
Jace Amaro
Xavier Su’a-Filo
Joel Bitonio
Gabe Jackson
Kony Ealy
It’s so much quality guards i would prefer if we traded back a few slots and got an extra pick this year and still come out with a guard
May 9th, 2014 at 9:40 am
Best remaining that fits Bucs:
WR Marqise Lee – no way, Jax will snap him up before we get a chance;
Louis Nix – Lovie loves a strong middle, but I don’t think we need him;
Derek Carr – I think maybe, he has that Tedford connection…
Xavier Su’a-Filo – a definite NEED, AND a great player, but will he be there?
Kony Ealy – I like this one too. Lovie LOVES his DEs
I would say Su’a-Filo. We need a OG badly. But Lovie may feel the need to scratch that itch and might pick Ealy, and I would love to see him next to McCoy for the next decade. Carr? But Lovie said he loves Glennon… lol
May 9th, 2014 at 9:41 am
I see Houston taking Carr. But if he drops it will be interesting. Some mocks had the Bucs taking Carr with #7… crazy
May 9th, 2014 at 9:50 am
Gotta bolster that o-line. You hit it on the head Joe, it doesn’t matter who’s behind center if their on their back all the time.
@Harry- I love Xavier from UCLA too. He’s at the top of my list.
I’m glad day 2 is here. We can all take a collective breath after the 1st round now and focus on the meat and potatos of the draft.
Go Bucs!
May 9th, 2014 at 9:51 am
Don’t be surprised if we choose another WR……Lee & Jordan Matthews are still on the board…..TE is also a possiibility.
Regardless I’d like to see Offense….OG would be fine!!!
May 9th, 2014 at 9:53 am
@Harry
Definitely a possibility they get Carr, but there’s been rumors the Texans are trying to trade for Ryan Mallett
May 9th, 2014 at 9:55 am
It’s gotta be Carr or Bitonio/Filo… As much as I love Jordan Matthews I don’t think we should take him now..
Screw it add Matthews to that list lol.. Let’s give McCown a Kurt Warner chance!
May 9th, 2014 at 10:03 am
Lovie and Jason are doing exactly what they need to do right now. They’re identified our greatest needs (WR, OL) and are filling them with the best player available. Second round will go to OL, and third will either go to another WR, OL, LB or DL dependent upon who’s still on the board. I’d love to see them draft Derek Carr if he was still available when we’re up next, but don’t think that’ll happen now based on our needs and what Lovie said last night.
One of those times I’d love to be wrong …
May 9th, 2014 at 10:03 am
I’m OK with Oline…..and would be excited to get Lee or Matthews….we need to score points….
May 9th, 2014 at 10:07 am
Pass rusher or guard is a must gabe jackson or kyle van noy would be awesome
May 9th, 2014 at 10:16 am
Tampa should go ahead and get another quality WR. The run on wide outs has begun and there may not be a quality pick in the 3rd. The run on OL hasnt begun. I would personally trade back 4-5 spots if the offer were available and get that slot WR with speed. Then I would go OL with then following two picks.
May 9th, 2014 at 10:21 am
Has to be an offensive lineman…Sua Filo, Jackson, Bitonio. One of those guys.
Lovie said the following last night, “…I love Mike Glennon. Mike Glennon is our quarterback of the future here. Why would we want to add a third quarterback to the mix? We needed other positions and forget just a quarterback position”.
Unless this is one elaborate, cruel smokescreen using Glennon as a tool, it’s obvious Lovie is focused on filling needs and doesn’t consider QB to be one of them.
After drafting Evans, there’s only one absolutely glaring need remaining: offensive line. Gotta be one of those guys tonight.
May 9th, 2014 at 10:22 am
Oh yeah record ratings for the draft last night. So if you hated it being pushed back well its staying where it is any may be pushed back even more. Sigh….
Draft timing won’t change anytime soon. –Joe
May 9th, 2014 at 10:26 am
draft paul richardson later
May 9th, 2014 at 10:29 am
trade Glennon and a 7th for Ryan Mallett considering all the talent we’ve given the Pats they should hook a brotha up
May 9th, 2014 at 10:29 am
I thought I heard Chucky say that Manziel was his top choice in the draft last night, or maybe that was just at QB position. So much regard for Chucky’s opinion.
May 9th, 2014 at 10:33 am
I agree OG is almost a must pick at 2. If they took Carr, assuming he’s there when we pick, it would make Lovie look like a lying hypocrite after the things he said yesterday, so I don’t see that happening.
May 9th, 2014 at 11:27 am
Houston won’t take Carr, the negative backlash and expectations wouldn’t be fair to anybody. Besides that, Bill O’Brien will probably want some robotic stiff like AJ McCarron or Mettenberger anyway. He likes pocket passers first and foremost.
May 9th, 2014 at 11:35 am
Joe – 1-ply toilet paper can bring a sense of risk and excitement. A crap shoot, if you will…
Well done.–Joe
May 9th, 2014 at 11:37 am
Filo or Bitonio should be the pick in Rd 2 if available.
May 9th, 2014 at 11:39 am
They may drop down in the 2nd round and pick up a late 3rd or early 4th. This draft is so deep that from this point on, not a whole lot of difference between no. 33 and no. 90
May 9th, 2014 at 12:49 pm
Filo or Bitonio should be the pick, but since they’re keeping Glennon, I think they go for the value pick and trade down to pick up a 4th and take either OT/OG Billy Turner or OG Trai Turner.
May 9th, 2014 at 1:26 pm
Steve White’s analysis of Ealy — and of Lee– was pretty downbeat. I had expected a tradedown for a look at defense like Shazier at Mike. Actually, the Bucs have drafted in a straightforward and logical way. — we needed a WR and they got quality.
Do others feel the Draft would have gone much differently if MW were here?
May 9th, 2014 at 2:00 pm
great for the bucs if carr is still on the board at their pick. they can probably coax a 4th rounder out of someone in a trade down. i don’t see him making it past some of the clearly QB needy teams at the top of the round, though
May 9th, 2014 at 2:53 pm
Double dip on guards would make me a little more comfortable with our situation there.
May 9th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
@Buccanole- Why would you trade Glennon(and a 7th) for Mallett? Does Mallett have any film? Just because he backs up a hall of famer doesn’t make him one. I don’t understand the fascination with someone else’s back-up! We already have one.
Besides, this is about drafting O-line.
I can’t wait to see what tonight brings……..foaming at the mouth for football!!!!!!!!!